INDEPENDENT MEDIA by Steve Anderson
In early February, OpenMedia.ca received word the CRTC was planning a set of invitation-only meetings on March 23 and 24 in Ottawa. Entitled “Shaping Regulatory Approaches for the Future,” the forum was meant to bring together the “stakeholders” of Canadian telecommunications for “meaningful...

NUTRISPEAK by Vesanto Melina
To keep your intestine healthy and to avoid bowel cancer, the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) and the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) have provided the following recommendations. These are two organizations that keep a close eye on the scientific research.
Eat mostly (or all) plant foods: As it passes through our...

ON THE GARDEN PATH by Carolyn Herriot
All animals get their food from plants, either directly or indirectly and all plants get their food from the soil. When we consider that the same chemical elements in the soil make up our bodies, we can understand how mineral-deficient soil is one of the greatest sources of human disease in the world. The root of many of...

UNIVERSE WITHIN by Gwen Randall-Young
Worry is a complete cycle of inefficient thought revolving about a pivot of fear.
~Author Unknown
Are you a worrier? Most people worry sometimes, but some worry most of the time. We could learn a lot from our pets. They really know how to live in the moment. They only worry when there is an imminent threat, not an...

FILMS WORTH WATCHING by Robert Alstead
Earth and its inhabitants are in trouble. Oceans are acidifying and sea levels rising at the fastest rate in 2,000 years. Biodiversity is in freefall, ecosystems are stressed to breaking point and like a deer caught in the headlights, humankind is watching this tragedy of its own making unfold, paralyzed by indecision and...

SCIENCE MATTERS by David Suzuki
with contributions from Ian Hanington
We often assume the only way to feed the world’s rapidly growing human population is with large-scale industrial agriculture. But recent scientific research is challenging those assumptions. Our global approaches to agriculture are critical. Close to one billion people are malnourished...

Cosmetics manufacturers: lack of information on “parfum” stinks
A report released by the David Suzuki Foundation found the majority of companies selling cosmetics and personal care products in Canada will not reveal the complete list of chemicals they use to fragrance their products. A loophole in Canada’s Cosmetic Regulations allows...

I read your “Big O” article in the recent issue of Common Ground [Drug Bust by Alan Cassels, June 2011] and in this case, I agree with you whole-heartedly.
My mother, who is 95 years old and lives in Berlin, Germany, fell and broke her hip in November 2010. She was immediately hospitalized, had surgery and was back in her own...

The riots in downtown Vancouver on June 15, 2011 reveal how many people are still without a strong sense of meaningful purpose in their lives (and also honour). When you have a clear and deep purpose, you feel truly alive so spectacles of violence are not needed to bring that feeling of aliveness. It is even more important that we continue to spread...

In the days following the June 15th Vancouver riot, I feel I have been witnessing a second riot. A verbal and written riot against the rioters in the form of name-calling, insults, degrading comments, labelling, stereotyping, demonizing and out-casting. This second riot reminds me of George W. Bush’s “War on Terror” in the sense that it...